“Terrible,” Rosemary said, jumping in for her. “The young man expected her to go home with him. On an empty stomach!”

Ray scowled. “I’m sorry, honey. Boy clearly hasn’t got the sense God gave a goose.”

“It’s fine.”

“You want me to kick his ass?”

Della did laugh then. “Thanks, Mr. Carmody. I handled it.”

Another knock, and all three turned to find Bob Downey at the door. He and Ray were old friends and practically joined at the hip since moving to the old folk’s home a few years back. They swaggered around the facility, cracking themselves up constantly, like Dean and Sammy in Vegas.

“Come in, Bob,” Rosemary called. “The more the merrier.”

“What you all in a huddle about over here?” He still felt the need to be involved in everything, mayoral robes or no.

“Talking about Della’s date,” Ray confirmed. “The boy put the hard word on her.”

“What?” Bob’s bushy eyebrows knitted together. “What’s wrong with him?” he demanded of Ray. “Only got one oar in the water?” He turned to Della. “You want me to kick his ass?”

Della suppressed the absurd urge to cry as the two old men stood ready to defend her honor. She didn’t need it, but there was something nice about their paternalism. Her father sure could have learned a lot about having her back from these two. “No need, Mr. Downey. But thank you.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Anytime, just holler. Ray and I are at your service. We could probably get Arthur and Harry to join us.”

Ray snorted. “Harry’s blind as a bat and deaf as a post.”

“Yeah. But the kid don’t know that.”

Della wasn’t sure how the kid could miss it, considering Harry had a pair of coke-bottle glasses so thick her eyes watered in sympathy every time he peered at her through them.

“And besides,” Bob continued, “he’s sprightly.”

“Well, thank you,” Della said with a solemn nod, touched by the idea of her own personal A-Team, no matter how geriatric. “I will remember that.”

Satisfied that Della obviously knew they had her back, Bob clapped Ray on the back. “I was just heading to the pool table. You joining me?”

Ray glanced at Rosemary for a second or two. She was still clutching her flowers, and she smiled at him before he turned to Bob and said, “Sure, why not. Kicking your ass never gets old.”

“Ha!” Bob snorted in disgust. “You’re just having a run of luck there, sparky, but that’s all coming to an end this morning. I can feel it in my water.”

Ray snorted back. “They got antibiotics for that these days.” And then they both cracked up. When they finally pulled themselves together, Ray performed a little bow, his gaze lingering on Rosemary as he said, “Excuse us, ladies,” before letting Bob drag him to the games room.